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2016 Opening Day festivities

The Colorado Rockies will celebrate Opening Day 2016 this Friday, April 8 vs. the San Diego Padres, first pitch at 2:10 p.m. In what has become an annual tradition for the community and Rockies fans throughout the region, Opening Day always features pregame ceremonies with exciting pageantry to kick off the 2016 season in grand fashion.

Opening Day pregame ceremonies begin at 1:30 p.m. and will feature a traditional "America's Pastime" theme, with a parade around the warning track that pays tribute to all branches of the United States military. Members of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard will present our nation's colors, with musical accompaniment by the United States Air Force Vector Brass. "The Star Spangled Banner" will be performed by Vector Brass, featuring airwoman first class Danielle Diaz, while an oversized American flag is unfurled on the field by 150 uniformed personnel from military, Denver Sheriff and Fire Departments. Immediately following the national anthem will be an F‐16C jet flyover supported by the 120th Fighter Squadron out of Buckley Air Force Base.

The Colorado Rockies will celebrate Opening Day 2016 this Friday, April 8 vs. the San Diego Padres, first pitch at 2:10 p.m. In what has become an annual tradition for the community and Rockies fans throughout the region, Opening Day always features pregame ceremonies with exciting pageantry to kick off the 2016 season in grand fashion.

Opening Day pregame ceremonies begin at 1:30 p.m. and will feature a traditional "America's Pastime" theme, with a parade around the warning track that pays tribute to all branches of the United States military. Members of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard will present our nation's colors, with musical accompaniment by the United States Air Force Vector Brass. "The Star Spangled Banner" will be performed by Vector Brass, featuring airwoman first class Danielle Diaz, while an oversized American flag is unfurled on the field by 150 uniformed personnel from military, Denver Sheriff and Fire Departments. Immediately following the national anthem will be an F‐16C jet flyover supported by the 120th Fighter Squadron out of Buckley Air Force Base.

Three ceremonial first pitches will be thrown out on Opening Day. The first will be George Frushour who represents longtime sponsor King Soopers, providers of the 2016 Rockies Magnetic Schedule handed out to all fans at the gates on Opening Day. And continuing the franchise tradition of inviting a Rockies Season Ticket Holder to participate on Opening Day, Tom Ricca, an original Season Ticket Holder from 1993, will throw out the second ceremonial first pitch. Lastly, continuing another longstanding Opening Day tradition, the Rockies are proud to honor everyday service heroes that sacrifice so much on behalf of our community: Denver Police Officer Tony Lopez Jr will be the 2016 Opening Day honoree for his heroic recovery from multiple gunshot wounds this past December. Officer Lopez will be joined on the field by his family and the first responders who saved his life.

Before the home team takes the field, pregame ceremonies will culminate in recognizing Nolan Arenado and CarlosGonzalez for their 2015 campaigns. Third baseman Nolan Arenado will receive four awards for his stellar season on both sides of the ball, including the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award alongside fellow winner, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, for having the best offensive seasons at their positions in the National League. Arenado will also be presented the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and the Wilson Defensive Player Award as the best third baseman in the National League, and the Mel Ott Award for being the league's home run champion.

As always, Opening Day is a sellout, so fans should be aware of the large crowds at 20th & Blake and in the parking lots throughout downtown. Coors Field parking lots (priced at $15‐$17 every game day, $14‐$16 in advance; information at Rockies.com/parking) will open at 9 a.m.; Coors Field parking lots are conveniently located outside the right‐field Gate A entrance and offer shuttle service. On Opening Day, Gate A opens at 11 a.m. for Rooftop access, and Gates B, C, D and E open at noon. SPECIAL NOTE: There will be additional ballpark entry points on Blake Street between Gates B and C, as well as on 20th Street between Gates D and E, both of which open at noon. In addition to arriving early to avoid lines at the gates, fans are encouraged to move to any of the seven entry points available.

The annual Opening Day Fest on Blake and 21st Streets will be open from 11 a.m. until pregame ceremonies begin at 1:30 p.m., offering games and activities for adults and children. TheRooftop also opens at 11 a.m., and fans can enjoy music spun by DJ Chris Marez and pregame drink specials until first pitch at 2:10 p.m. For information on this and future Rooftop events, visit Rockies/rooftop.com or follow on Twitter, @RoxRooftop.

Though Opening Day is sold out, fans can secure individual game tickets to other 2016 regular season games by visiting Rockies.com/tickets, calling (303) ROCKIES (762‐5437) or visiting the Coors Field Ticket Office, Rockies Dugout Stores, Kings Soopers and select City Market stores. Fans can save money over individual ticket prices by purchasing Rockies Season Tickets or a Mini‐Plan.

Opening Weekend at Coors Field continues with a 6:10 p.m. start on Saturday, April 9, and a 2:10 p.m. start on Sunday, April 10, both vs. the San Diego Padres. Saturday will feature a Rockies T‐shirt for the first 10,000 fans through the gates and Sunday will award the first 20,000 fans with a Diamond Leader Nolan Arenado Bobblehead, sponsored by Shane Co.; gates open at noon for this bobblehead giveaway. The first Player Autograph Sunday will also take place on April 10, beginning at 12:40 p.m. For more information regarding 2016 promotions, visit Rockies.com/promotions.

The Rockies' season opener against the Padres will be televised locally on ROOT SPORTS™. The Rockies' radio broadcast is on KOA NewsRadio 850 AM & 94.1 FM and in Spanish on KNRV 1150 AM.

SECURITY REMINDER: As a continuation of Major League Baseball's league‐wide implementation requirement started in 2015 and in the interest of continuing to ensure fan safety at Coors Field, the Colorado Rockies will use walk‐through metal detectors at all gates.

Some key points for Rockies fans to keep in mind:

• Unlike the procedures at the airport, fans entering Coors Field WILL NOT be required to remove shoes or belts; fans WILL BE required to remove cell phones, cameras and keys prior to passing through the metal detectors.

• As in past seasons, the Rockies will continue to allow fans to bring bags, backpacks and purses into Coors Field (16"x16"x8" size limit). The food and drink policy will remain the same as well.

• Fans should allow extra time for entry on game days, and fans should be aware of all of the entrance gates as there are typically much shorter lines at gates other than the home plate gate (Gate D, 20th and Blake). The heaviest entry time is typically between 30 minutes prior to first pitch and 30 minutes after first pitch, so it is best to avoid that time frame.

• For fans who have no carry‐in items, there are Express Lanes at Gates B (22nd and Blake), C (21st and Blake) and D. There are also special lanes for Season Ticket Holders only at Gates A, C and E (Wynkoop). Additional entry points will be implemented for some games; these will be located on Blake Street between Gates B and C, and on 20th Street between Gates D and E.

• Gates A (Parking Lot) and E open two hours prior to game time; Gates B, C and D open 90 minutes prior to game time. For Opening Day, gates will open earlier, as follows: Gate A will open at 11 a.m. for Rooftop access, and all other gates and entry points will open at noon.

• Coors Field parking lots will open at 9 a.m. on Opening Day. Visit Rockies.com/parking for all parking information.

• Starting on Opening Day, the Rockies CLEAR lane will be at Gate C for every home game this season. The CLEAR lane will open for entry 2 hours prior to game time on Opening Day and 1.5 hours prior to game time for the remainder of the season. Enrollment is free and fans can enroll at Gate C beginning at 10 a.m. on Opening Day.